Sweet Potato Salad with Lentils and Fried Egg

Roasted sweet potatoes are in my top five favorite items to cook. I find sweet potatoes to be a good introduction into other vegetables. They have flavor but not enough to be off putting, they are the right amount of earthy and sweet, and they can be cooked in numerous ways. This sweet potato salad is less of a recipe and a sort of guide for a grain based salad that I eat nearly every week. You could practically swap out the arugula, Kamut, and lentils for your favorite in each category. It’s hard to mess up this salad.

Salad

Dressing

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon brown mustard

Pinch of salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400˚. Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a sheet tray covered with parchment paper. Roast sweet potatoes until tender and starting to brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before adding to salad.

When ready to assemble the salad, combine the arugula with the kamut, lentils, pepitas, and feta in a bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and salt. Add sweet potatoes the arugula mixture, pour dressing over and toss until everything is well combined and coated.

Divide salad onto two plates and top with a fried egg.

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Sweet Potato Salad

variations

As mentioned above, this salad is more of a guide to making your own sweet potato salad. The sweet potatoes pair well with so many combinations of things that I think I could almost have a second site devoted to just that. A few ideas though:

Grains: I use Kamut quite a bit when I’m craving a heartier, chewier grain. If you’re looking for a similar experience in gluten-free, I highly recommend sorghum. If you’re looking for something a bit more quick cooking, try quinoa, millet, bulgur, or freekeh.

Legumes: I love black lentils in salads because they add a unique color and they hold their shape well. Other lentils, like French Petite Lentils (or Le Puy) or green would work or use a bean, like chickpeas or any of the white beans.

Greens: I get on arugula kicks. I love the slight pepper bite it has- I think it adds quite a bit to a salad. However, any of the good salad greens would work: kale, spinach, lettuce, or even a collard green base would be nice.

As mentioned, I love sweet potatoes, especially when they are roasted. Roast up a big batch and use them in quesadillas, tacos, soups, or even breakfast burritos (a favorite of mine). A few recipes to get you started:

Finally got around to making this for lunch several days ago. It was very nice, though I would tend to prefer a bit more dressing. My husband actually enjoyed it, too, so I will keep it in my rotation.